15 Actors Who Were Almost Cast In Harry Potter

These guys just missed out on their Hogwarts' acceptance letter.

The Harry Potter movies may have deviated from the books in some pretty major ways, but they did get a lot right in capturing the essence of J.K. Rowling's novels. The increasing maturity of the stories and overall magic of the world is well captured, while the characters are perfectly observed. Across the board the casting choices were spot-on. The young actors all progressed through puberty at a rate that matched their on screen development, while the plethora of British thespians who filled out the adult roles were spot on; it feels like if you weren't in Harry Potter, you just weren't a prominent enough actor. Of course, when dealing franchise this big, with so many characters, some actors are going to miss out on being a part of it. Some managed to get a part the second time around - David Thewlis almost got the role of Professor Quirrell in The Philosopher's Stone, before getting the much meatier Remus Lupin - but most ended up having to view the franchise as a behemoth they weren't quite a part of. Today we bring you fifteen of those actors who narrowly missed out on being a part of the wizarding world. The squibs of acting, if you will.

Honourable Mention - J.K Rowling As Lily Potter

In what would have been one of the most over-the-top in-jokes of all time, J.K. Rowling was considered for the role of Lily Potter in The Philosopher's Stone. Although it would be quite cool to see the creator of Harry Potter as his literal mother, it could have easily ended up a little too much, pulling us out of the action. At least she has the same eye colour as Harry - the same can't be said of the actresses who ended up playing Lily.
Contributor
Contributor

Film Editor (2014-2016). Loves The Usual Suspects. Hates Transformers 2. Everything else lies somewhere in the middle. Once met the Chuckle Brothers.